A Strange Move: The Hovgaard Family c. 1940

By Lauren Martinez, Family & Human Services major, class of 2025 Setting the Stage Mexican women are not often seen as leaders of their families. Juanita E. Hovgaard, formerly Valencia, and her family did not follow the typical narrative of Mexican railroad...

Acculturation and the Aguilar Family, 1941 – 1960

By Natalie Garcia, IRES major, class of 2025 Part 1: Crossing the Border, Starting a Family, and Moises Aguilar’s Introduction to the U.S. Railroad Industry The Aguilar family was a quiet yet persistent force in Lane County. They continued to make space for themselves...

Family migration in Junction City, c. 1930

Balbina Abad cannot find words to explain her childhood in the early years of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. Or perhaps, she would rather let the words continue to hide within her own mind. As Franco pursued an economic policy of “autarky” to close Spain’s economy...